I had a different title in mind today until I updated WordPress to version 2.7. I’ve done many WordPress upgrades, but unbeknown to me they planned to change the user interface with this version. Boy have they ever! I sort of like the change (unlike Flickr’s) but it’s taken me a little time to figure out how to write a new post.
Rain Rain Go Away
Seriously, why must we have so much rain in such a short time period? I know, we need the rain. However, we need the rain spread out among many days so that it doesn’t just run off into the streams and rivers.
Holy Taco! I Managed To Eat Vegetarian Last Night
Late in the afternoon yesterday I caught wind of a group of Tweeters meeting up at East Atlanta’s Holy Taco. Lo and behold, I was one of the invitees so I naturally jumped on the opportunity (this is me trying to widen my social network). My only quandary was that it was to be a vegetarian day and I knew that the menu of Holy Taco contained many delicious-sounding meaty options.
However, in a strange moment of discipline I managed to stay vegetarian. I ordered some chips and salsa, and my dinner consisted of a vegetarian quesadilla and an order of tostones. Sadly the Holy Taco was still out of Fuller’s London Pride beer, and I drank them out of Tetley’s last night as well.
ITP Flickr Pic
The eye has it!
My optometrist has a Canon 20D set-up that allows him to take a photo of the inside of one’s eyes. Cool. He had this last year as well and I didn’t think to blog about it. Because I mentioned that I have an interest in photography he offered to email me one of the photos.
Because I am squeamish I’m only showing the thumbnail size in case anyone else out there is as squeamish as I.
If you wish to see this photo larger, click the thumbnail and it will take you to the larger version on Flickr.
Top Chef: I Don’t Know Because I Fell Asleep
It’s only one week into my life without a DVR and I’ve already had my first FAIL.
I arrived home from Holy Taco shortly before 10:00pm and thought about going straight to bed. A few minutes later I remembered that it was Wednesday night and I no longer had a DVR to record Top Chef. I popped out of bed and joined the program already in progress as they were crowning the winner of the Quick Fire Challenge.
I continued to watch, including suffering through commercials, for another twenty minutes or so… before I fell asleep. When I awoke the show was ending and I had no way to watch what I missed. Well I had one way, as Bravo replays Top Chef at 11:00pm Eastern, but there was no way that I was going to stay up and watch.
I have a feeling that I am going to be watching a lot less television now that I have no dvr. You know, this might be one of the best things to happen to me in a long time.
And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Daily
Current Mood – okay, although my undisclosed medical condition is being painful today.
Current Music – listening to Leo Laporte’s “The Tech Guy” podcast
Website Of The Day – Since I’m showing a photo that I didn’t shoot, I’ll pick a website that contains a ton of photos I didn’t shoot. Google has archived the photos of (the now defunct) Life Magazine. (thanks to Barb for alerting me to this)
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Monthly
Foot Mileage – 4 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 11 (11)
Vegetarian Days – 8
Carnivorous Days – 2
Marta Rides – 0
Ongoing
Books To Read To Earn Kindle – 4
December Goals
1) Lose no fewer than two pounds
2) Drink no soda
3) Run no fewer than 50 miles
4) Completely read no fewer than one book
5) Write at least one program using Ruby on Rails
Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]
I’m very interested in seeing how your life without DVR plays out – getting a DVR is simultaneously the best and worst thing I’ve ever done involving the cable company (although probably getting cable internet is pretty up there too). At first I was going to comment that I think I actually watch *less* television now that I have it, since I’m usually not watching reruns of shows I follow, but actually I think I probably watch more – hell, the West Wing eps on Bravo that I can now watch contribute greatly to my “there’s nothing on” television watching.
Have you thought about getting a tv tuner for your computer and using it as a DVR?
I didn’t mention it but I routinely had fifteen timers set. FIFTEEN! Granted, not all timers fired every week because most of them were set to record only “new” episodes. However, I did start watching a lot of television I would not have otherwise.
I have thought about getting a tuner and hooking it up to my iMac (it’s actually part of “Paulie’s Grand Plan” that will most likely never play out). My hesitation is the price; the El Gato tuner that I’d buy costs around $175. Every time I think about buying it I think about my plumbing needs, my desire to one day buy another laptop, charities to which I should donate, yadda, yadda, yadda. 😉
The obvious advantage of a DVR is the time savings in skipping over commercials in shows you KNOW you are going to watch. And being able to watch West Wing whenever you want!!
Daily deluges do little to deter the drought.
-FP
I’ve never thought of the eyeball making anyone squeamish……. but I’ve spent plenty of time in my life in eye doctor offices.
BUT – watching the Lasik surgery on video, now that is pretty wild.
Here’s a funny story sort of related to the rain – Allan is at a new station for a while (#5 for those playing at home, still somewhere in SW Atlanta, over near Greenbriar Mall I’m told). Well, the captain told them yesterday morning that they should go out & test hydrants that day. It was pouring caats & dogs at the time. I guess they all just looked at each other, and were trying to figure out how to get out of it. It isn’t boot camp with the Marines, they don’t need to be broken, so they have all decided this guy is insane. And yes, they did go out, but not until later when it was just raining…….
The eye picture was cool and I’ll have to admit….I looked at the larger version.
I went to the foot doctor this morning. Been given clearance to walk up to 2 miles every other day for 2 weeks and then 3 miles the 3rd week and 4 miles the 4th week. I told him that’s not going to get me ready for Mt. Mist the end of January!
I’m not going to complain about the rain….we need it no matter how we get it. The hooch was full this morning….I sure hope the corp isn’t releasing water out of Lanier….but ya never know about government workers! sorry Steve….
@Steve: But the dvr sucks you in…. I’m trying to figure out how to convince Dish to supply a dvr that has enough flash memory to support pause/fast forward/rewind.
@Barb, @Sal: The only way I can look at that picture is knowing that it’s my eye. For anyone else’s I’d never look. My other eye is similar and my optometrist says that both look good from the photos.
@Sal: Yay for your update. Good luck to you.
This much rain can be very problematic to those of us whose gutters are less-than-optimal (and were struck by a fallen branch recently) and worry about water in their basements. I’m just glad I’ve yet to create a trench which would help the rain come toward my basement. Hurrah for procrastination! 😉
Sal- I take no offense, as the Fed isn’t “technically” part of the gub’ment. Like the post office…
Barb- I’m racking my brain to think of where that station is and the only one I can think of is on Fairburn Rd, but wouldn’t think that’s Atlanta. Is that it?
Paul- you want rain to COME to your basement? Doesn’t that mean “swimming pool”?
-FP
Water in the basement could be the hot tub people have been telling me to buy for the past ten years. Of course, the electricity would be running through the water so it may be a little dangerous.
I want a DVR but fear the result… getting satellite TV will probably be bad enough.
I was worried about the rain and drainage at my place too… there are obvious past issues, but looks like they fixed it, as no water this morning when I checked it! I only have gutters in the front, and honestly don’t see adding anymore as long as things stay dry. My duplex has them on all sides and they SUCK and I always have to clean them out… I mean constantly. I will be removing some in the future to negate so much climbing around on the roof. I would think with the way your yard slopes, you should be ok Paulie.
If Allen is near Greenbriar, he is about 1.5 miles from my place…
FYI Paulie, got my new Heat pump system installed on Tuesday!
I had to google it – I haven’t been down there to visit yet.
Station 5 – 2825 Campbellton Rd. SW
Gentri – is that near you?
Steve, Station #31 is on Fairburn Rd.
He is 1.2 miles from me! I am at the corner of Headland and Dobson.
Barb, will Alan get a chance to check out the new EAV firehouse when it is finished?
Sal, that is great news!!!
> this might be one of the best things to happen to me in a long time.
Paulie, I couldn’t agree more. I’m so looking forward to lunch today!!! Then dinner tonight at Penang…it is an international day for me.
…oh, the eye picture…that’s nothing, you should have seen what sort of things/diseases I had to check out daily during grad school…
@Martha:
– reason I didn’t become a lawyer = I hate to argue
– reason I didn’t become a doctor = I hate to look at gross pictures and blood
@Paulie:
– reason I didn’t become a lawyer = I’m lazy
– reason I didn’t become a doctor = Still lazy
Gentri – feel free to stop in and say Hi to Allan, he’s there every third day for a while. Just look for his truck (or my car) in the parking lot, and if you don’t know those, look for a foot sticker!
Martha – EAV is in a different battalion, so right now probably not. But, as f-d up as the City of Atlanta is, you just never know.
did anyone see this? The writer is pretty funny.
http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/taste_test_baconnaise
Hadn’t seen that. I keep waiting to hear from the Bacon Salt people telling me when Baconnaise is available in stores.
and, Randy, Lisa, Laura and any other vegetarians…… it doesn’t have any meat in it. the whole concept just makes me laugh.
Barb- that must be a “reasonably” new station as I don’t remember one being there… of course, I doubt I’ve been down that part of Cambellton in… 15 or 20 years?
Ummm, Baconnaise!
-FP